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Sales of alternatively fuelled vehicles (AFVs) sales rose 36.9 per cent to 8,244 and are up 34.8 per cent in the year to date to 102,369, lifting overall market share from 3.3 per cent in October 2016 to 4.6 per cent last month.

Sales of diesel powered cars are down 14.9 per cent in the year to date at 946,537 while petrol fuelled car sales are up 2.9 per cent at 1.17 million with petrol now surpassing diesel for market share.

Diesel cars accounted for 42.5 per cent of the UK new car market in the year to October, down from 47.7 per cent last year, while petrol car market share rose to 52.8 per cent, up from 49 per cent last year.

Despite the boom in AFV sales, new car sales overall were down across all markets, declining 10.1 per cent in private, 13 per cent in fleet and 26.8 per cent in business.

Total sales in October were down 12.2 per cent to 158,192 (Oct 2016: 180.168) and sales in the year to date are down 4.6 per cent at 2.22 million (Year to Oct 2016: 2.33 million).

The best seller last month, and in the year to date was the Ford Fiesta, followed by the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Nissan Qashqai, which topped the seller lists on a respective monthly and year to date basis.

The SMMT is predicting new car sales will be down 4.7 per cent overall in the 2017 year at around 2.56 million units.

Commenting on the latest sales figures, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “Declining business and consumer confidence is undoubtedly affecting demand in the new car market but this is being compounded by confusion over government policy on diesel.

“Consumers need urgent reassurance that the latest, low emission diesel cars on sale will not face any bans, charges or other restrictions, anywhere in the UK.

“We urge the Government to use the forthcoming Autumn Budget to restore stability to the market, encouraging the purchase of the latest low emission vehicles as fleet renewal is the fastest and most effective way of addressing air quality concerns.”

Howard Archer, chief economic advisor to the EY ITEM Club, said: “The SMMT reported that new UK car registrations fell by a sharp 12.2 per cent y/y in October to 158,192 units.

“This followed a decline of 9.3 per cent year-on-year in the key month of September (due to the number plate change) and drops of 6.4 per cent in August and 9.3 per cent in July.

“Not only was October’s drop sharp, but it marked a seventh successive decline of falling car sales, thereby clearly pointing to a serious loss of momentum in the sector.

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“This is even allowing for the fact that some car sales were undoubtedly brought forward into the first quarter of 2017 (when they were buoyant) by consumers and businesses looking to beat the changes to vehicle excise duty (VED) that were introduced in April.

“Indeed, new car sales were down 4.6 per cent year-on-year over the first 10 months of 2017 at 2,224,603 units.”